Deadly Concoctions And The Lady That Makes Them
by sctwilightvampwolfgal
Summary: Lotte was a farmer, not an alchemist, yet she found herself coming to Falkreath's alchemic shop daily just to see the woman that runs the shop. *Skyrim AU.*
1. Chapter 1

Lotte wasn't an alchemist, not really, yet something brought her into this shop, day after day.  
She's a quiet Nord woman who chooses to spend her days farming yet the elf that ran this shop looked as adorably deadly as one you might expect that ran a shop called Grave Concoctions.

Sucy was her name, and her voice ran deadly like snake venom yet Lotte adored talking to her, hearing about Alchemy that she wasn't fully aware of yet could now tell you of all the uses of Giant's Toe and label the effects of Wheat on a chart.

She came by everyday without fail, satchel full of wheat and whatever else she grew that Sucy might need, and she sold them one by one to her.

Lotte loved to hear Sucy talk about Alchemy though the closest thing to Alchemy that Lotte knew well about was magic; she'd been trained as a Mage and thus spent her lifetime farming and practicing spells with an eager heart to teach anyone that came along yet now she knew more about Alchemy than she'd ever hoped to know.

She eagerly spent time with Sucy though learning how to concoct this potion or that potion; Sucy's favorites were in fact poisons and anything that could prove to be deadly though she knew how to make a great assortment of potions as well that could cure about any ailment.

Lotte loved these lessons best yet found herself eagerly listening to Sucy teach her about poisons just to see the light that lit up her eyes then.

She didn't really anticipate any wanderers into the town and wondered if Sucy would mind that she had just taken a bit of a liking to her yet had no idea whether the woman was at all attracted to anyone; she never brought up romance, and Lotte was often too scared to ask.

Lotte smiled as Sucy pulled back from her, arms leaving their gentle nest on Lotte's arms as Sucy had considered the potion lesson done for the day.

She smiled at Sucy and before she could leave to go back to her farm to make sure that her harvest was actually doing well, a Khajiit brushed into the room, mage cloak thrown haphazardly over herself as she entered.

She was pretty in a much more casual way as she walked like Khajiits often did as if they anticipated anyone to punish them on sight though she spoke clearly and kindly, "What potions do you have on hand?"  
"Anything you'll need." Sucy muttered as she walked away, back to the counter in front of her and motioned the potential customer over.

Lotte took that cue as time for her to leave as she found a part of her heart worrying that Sucy might just be attracted to Khajiits though she knew that the woman was only being polite to a new customer to help her business stay afloat.


	2. Chapter 2

The Khajiit stood tall as she spoke to Sucy: eyes eager in the way of a worried traveler.

She shifted from foot to foot eagerly as if that was all that she could do as she waited; she was very impatient.

"What's your name?" Sucy as one might expect was a little cautious especially when it came to new people hurrying into a store, eager to leave just as fast as they came; they tended to be criminals in that case.

"It's Atsuko Kagari." The Khajiit muttered, looking vaguely excited for a quick second, as she took in the surroundings of the store, "You have an Alchemy table behind your sales counter? That's odd."

"It works just fine for me." Grumbled Sucy as she waited to see if the Khajiit definitely wanted one of her potions.

"Oh? You have a Potion of Extreme Healing? Awesome, I'll take it." The Khajiit rifled through her bag for her money as Sucy stared at her, already distrusting the young woman's choice of words; Khajiits were known for their petty thefts among other questionable behaviors as she watched the ears flick back slightly as the Khajiit searched her bag before she smiled and placed the money on the counter.

Sucy handed her the potion, warily watching the Khajiit Mage shift again with a brilliant smile on her face, "I can't wait to tell Amanda that Falkreath is really an awesome place!"  
"Amanda? Is she a Khajiit as well?" Sucy asked, watching her cautiously from the other side of the counter.

"Nope." Akko smiled as she yet again shifted; this time to put away her newly acquired potion, "She's a Nord Mage." She beamed over at Sucy.

"You're traveling with a Nord?" Sucy asked, determined to figure this customer out.

"Well, yeah. We met when I first took magic lessons. She's pretty awesome." The Khajiit hummed, and that was when Sucy saw it in her eyes.

"You and the Nord are serious, aren't you?" She smirked though the Khajiit's interest in women didn't altogether concern her.

"What?" Akko shifted before realizing that it was getting late as her eyes clearly conveyed in almost worry, "I better go; Amanda might need me." She hustled off quickly.

Sucy smirked, dryly speaking up, "Yeah, she might need you." The teasing aside, the young woman hadn't made any criminal actions in Sucy's store, so she was an alright customer though the franticness to leaving and entering had Sucy thinking that she did not need her entering her store again and possibly making a mess of it.

She smiled slightly, feeling the gentle curve of her lips; it had been a good day. She'd been able to make poisons with Lotte and even got a well paying customer that just may return in the future.

Sucy glanced over at the door before she moved to lock the place up and return to her home for a night of rest as tomorrow she'd begin it like every other day, making potions and poisons to sell.


	3. Chapter 3

Lotte found that her harvest was doing well as she'd expected and set to work quickly harvesting the crops that she'd worked hard to grow though she only chose a small few for dinner tonight or sales tomorrow.

The wheat that she grew instantly reminded her of Sucy and of Alchemy; Lotte hummed as she sang to her plants and moved around past them before the nervous pit formed in her stomach when she thought again of the Khajiit Mage that had entered that store.

A part of her began to worry about what concerns would have an adventurer rushing into a store that sells Alchemy ingredients and potions as well as poisons; another more personal worry tugged at her heartstrings. Would Sucy be interested in her new customer in a more than friendly way?

Sucy had never seemed really interested in someone before, let alone any of the other residents of their little town with a graveyard that stretched farther than their houses did.

Lotte sighed; Sucy had never really seemed interested in her past life wherever she lived let alone had made clear whether she'd had someone back home or was interested in a race of people that simply did not live in Falkreath.

She hurried into her house, already beginning a stew for dinner as she stared miserably at the pot as she worried; Lotte had easily remembered the day that Sucy had came to Falkreath.

Lotte was young, still just a child that worked with her father and mother on their farm while Sucy wasn't much older than her though she carried herself like a grown woman, seemed confident despite not knowing anyone in the town let alone how the town ran.

Sucy did not look weary at all from travel, had probably seen more than her fair share of the world despite how calmly and confidently she'd assessed them.

She'd had just enough money to open up her shop and had stayed in town, buying a small house, and keeping mostly to herself.

Unlike quite a few shopkeepers out there, she wasn't interested in gossip and preferred a quieter way of life, and perhaps that was what had drawn Lotte to her.

Lotte had always preferred her small town and never really longed to hear any gossip or eavesdrop on others and thus found herself interested in the serenity of being near another with a similar viewpoint.

May be it had started out as fascination and wonder as she remembers asking constantly to go see Sucy and get a chance to really talk with her though with time, the excitement changed course and became less energetic.

She'd had to take over her family's farm after they'd left on a trip somewhere and never returned; Lotte already knew what she'd had to do, felt comfortable taking it over, and well knew that she'd probably always live in this town, talk to the same people.

Lotte'd loved the idea though missed her family desperately.

She carefully set her bowl of soup down on the table and began to eat her dinner, wondering if Sucy had ever thought of truly settling down with someone or if a part of her was locked on tightly to her past.

The farmer sighed as she shifted and stared out the window, lost in thought.

Would Sucy be okay with helping run a farm which was another job in and of itself or did she prefer traveling with some wandering Khajiit in order to find the next alchemic ingredient for a deadly poison?

Lotte's heart dropped at the mere thought though she knew that she'd grow whatever Sucy needed, willingly, though also knew that not everything could be grown.

Would Sucy have to leave eventually for some rare ingredient and if she did, would she still be well enough to return?  
Lotte stared at her bowl as she slowly tried to savor her last few spoonfuls of stew and moved to get up and do the dishes before bed; it would be more than nice to have someone to share this little farmhouse with, someone to spend her evenings with.

She sighed and finally turned to go to bed, trying to clear her mind that refused to stray from the thoughts of a sweet future together and what that would entail or the thoughts of whether she'd truly be considered in Sucy's future.

Lotte felt the soft, worn down comfort of her old bed and slowly drifted to sleep with thoughts of her parents and of Sucy in her head, ushering her dreams off in weird parallels with strange Khajiits with an affinity for magic that only made her toss and turn in her sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Lotte found despite the nervous welling in the pit of her stomach, she'd begun her day like any other.

She checked her crops and took care of them, had a quick breakfast of bread and a small piece of fish, and packed her satchel to leave to town to sell a few, measly ingredients to Sucy, and to if she could sell a little more of her harvest to townsfolk or even adventurers if they'd be there though she doubted it.

Lotte, first like she almost always tended to do, headed over to Sucy's shop, reading the name as easily as if she wasn't nervous before she entered to see Sucy already at work on making potions and poisons; from her angle, she couldn't tell what ingredients were being used, so had no idea whether or not they were poisons or potions.

"H-How did business go yesterday?" She felt her nerves finally leak out further than she gave them permission to as Sucy looked up to greet her.

"Well enough. She bought a potion for her 'friend'." Sucy spoke up with a light smirk before turning back to what Lotte realized was a poison by the smell of it.

She wandered closer, watching as it shifted color faintly until it was all mixed together perfectly and looked just right.

Sucy cleaned up around her alchemy lab before she began to make a fairly familiar potion as Lotte watched her, "Did she buy a Potion of Extreme Healing?" Lotte knew that Sucy didn't make those potions often and usually made certain ones for stock purposes in case someone came in and desperately needed one.

"She did." Sucy finished up making that particular potion before she finally turned back to Lotte with a soft smile.

Lotte's skin buzzed with a faint blush as she saw that smile though feared that it may have been inspired by the thought of the previous customer.

"She needed to take it to her girlfriend." Lotte nearly gasped at hearing that spoken so casually; could Sucy be fine with feelings like that between two women? She seemed fine admitting that.

"O-Oh." Lotte muttered finally before she turned to her, "Did she tell you that?"  
"She was too scared to admit it." Sucy shrugged before returning to her counter and restocking her potions and poisons, silently hoping for a good day of sales.

Lotte stepped closer, following her before she turned to lean on the other side of the desk, feeling her nerves dissipate step by step in Sucy's presence, "I harvested some more wheat and lavender."

"That's nice of you." Sucy shrugged before she handed over a small amount of gold for the ingredients.

"Thank you." Lotte blushed before she asked what other ingredients Sucy may need.

"Some deathbell and nightshade would be nice." Her lips turned up at one side into a slight, amused smirk.

Lotte muttered in response, "Sure." She didn't know quite where she'd get the seeds, but it would be nice to help Sucy out with her favorite past time, making deadly poisons.

"Are you stopping by later?" Sucy asked her, and Lotte nearly smiled at the question.

"I am. I thought I may try selling to some of the townsfolk today, just little bits of vegetables and fruit that I've grown. Do you need anything?" Lotte couldn't help admitting as she tried to steer away her current blush.

"I'm good." Sucy smiled lightly at her friend; she seemed to be in a rather good mood today perhaps it was the sale the day before or something else that brought on her good mood.

"O-Okay." Lotte waved goodbye to her friend and crush before she left for a semi-calm day of decent sales in her hometown.


	5. Chapter 5

Lotte smiled as she retraced the familiar steps to her best friend's store and couldn't resist the joy that upturned her lips.

She carried her satchel with ease and even managed to make a sale on seeds of Nightshade from a merchant that had stopped by Falkreath on the way to wherever he was going.

Lotte opened the door and smiled though it always felt just the tiniest bit lonely whenever she entered the small establishment, and no one was visiting or buying from Deadly Concoctions.

"So how did your sales go?" Sucy asked easily as she relaxed perfectly under the presence of the Nordic farmer.

"They went well. I managed to buy some Nightshade seeds." Lotte shrugged with a smile; the man that she'd bought them from had looked at her rather funny as she certainly didn't run a Hall of the Dead or work at a cemetery.

"That's good." Sucy smiled back at her, and it was an easy smile that planted itself on her face.

Lotte smiled, loving the little way that her presence always seemed to make Sucy content and happy in a small, subdued way.

"So did anyone buy anymore ingredients or potions?" Lotte stepped closer, watching with a little bit of wonder and curiosity as Sucy prepared a set of ingredients to be made into another potion or poison.

"No." Sucy seemed to not mind all that much even as Lotte pressed closer.

"So the Khajiit never bought anything else for her girlfriend?" It was an easy question; Lotte didn't mind the fact that the word girlfriend fell out of her lips with a certain unparalleled ease.

"Yeah, she never came back." Sucy seemed perfectly relaxed as she walked over to the Alchemy Lab and as Lotte joined her there, offering to help silently and letting Sucy move behind her to guide her hands in an all familiar kind of way.

Lotte fought back the urge to lean back into the slight embrace; it always felt so safe, so loving, and so perfect to be in Sucy's arms despite knowing just how very little they probably resembled a couple.

"So you were concerned about a Khajiit earlier?" Sucy's voice was close to her ear and perfectly quiet to match the proximity; Lotte couldn't help but shiver at just hearing it as she tried not to stumble while she mixed the ingredients. This wasn't the first time that Sucy had talked to her while guiding her through mixing poisons and potions, but it wasn't over something as simple as how to mix or what to mix together.

"May be a little." Lotte muttered, half hoping that her feelings were blended into an obscurity by this statement as Khajiits were known to be thieves often enough and yet half hoping that her jealousy would just air out within a confession of sorts.

"Don't like Khajiits?" Sucy asked her, voice ever soft in her ear.

Lotte's face heated up, and she spoke without thinking, "It's not that."

"Oh?" Sucy murmured, and she could hear the smirk in her voice, making her half tempted to just turn around and see the expression on her face.

"Yeah." Lotte smiled at the gentle embrace that soothingly looped over her waist as Sucy pressed closer to continue guiding her.


	6. Chapter 6

It was perhaps weird how used to feeling Sucy's arms around her with how she felt for her and how they obviously weren't more than friends yet it was even weirder how Sucy's fingers nearly trailed over her as she pulled slowly away.

"Do you know how to take care of Nightshade flowers?" Sucy asked softly as her arms finally rested at her sides.

Lotte turned around to face the woman behind her, "The merchant explained a little bit to me before. Do you have any experience taking care of them?"

"I do know a little. I've grown some of my own ingredients in the past though it's been a while since then." Her voice was calm and nearly soothing in that regard.

"Before you came here?" Lotte's eyes held so much curiosity yet there was a prickling of sadness there as if she half expected that old home to have control over her best friend that stood in front of her now.

"Yeah, but I stopped when I left. I have no real family there anymore." Her eyes looked a little distant, but she sent a small smile Lotte's way anyway.

"I'm sorry." Lotte knew that Sucy knew what happened to the farmer's parents though she couldn't help but feel such remorse for her friend that it became a reality to focus on later after she goes home to an empty house again.

"You didn't make what happened happen, and you've been a good friend of mine." She didn't say I'm fine, and Lotte couldn't imagine being fine from something like that; she used to have a family too which wasn't surprising really just a little heartbreaking that it became a past tense so easily.

"I know." Lotte took a deep breath, wondering if there ever was something to say that could just relieve a hint of the pain that clung to the other woman.

"I'll do my best to help you with the Nightshade." Sucy smiled, a gentle tugging of her lips upward, as if finally she was happier as if the topic change fixed a part of what was surely broken underneath.

"You don't have to, but I'm glad that you are." Lotte spoke up honestly smiling at the way that they undoubtedly crept a little closer now even there wasn't an absolute reason as to why they did, just that they did.

"You don't have to worry about my feelings." Sucy spoke up, eyes flickering casually to the wall and back.

"What do you mean?" Lotte pressed closer, feeling small like a child as if a sudden light exposed all of who she was in a blink of an eye.

"I mean, I'd rather spend my days by your side than with someone that I don't really know." The words seemed difficult for Sucy to speak as if the brutal honesty and deep reflection of them hurt to finally say out loud and yet meant more than the world could ever know.

"You love me?" Lotte's mind blanked; she'd never realized that through every moment, their casual proximity, their talks, their alchemic practices, and everything in between that the other woman had fallen for her just as hard.

"I do." Sucy stared straight into her eyes before finding the words to go on once more, "I love you, Lotte."  
She smiled, almost shyly at the inclusion of her name in that simple and loving phrase, "I love you too, Sucy."

Lotte smiled when she was gently drawn into a hug; while they were used to being close, Sucy had never been much of a hugger.

The Nord woman pressed closer, nestling into the embrace, and gently savoring the kind of proximity that just filled her up with a perfect kind of warmth.

Within that moment, there was enough confidence that they both knew that they wouldn't stumble or fall apart; they'd keep pushing gently like they always had to a bright future.

One day, probably soon, their lips would meet in a kiss, and definitely one day, they'll figure out how to move Sucy into the little cottage that Lotte lived in, because the farmer surely couldn't move out.

They'd learn how to make work hours flow together and how to balance all that Lotte did for her and possibly dropped the price all together.

Lotte was vaguely surprised by how confident that hug made her feel, but she didn't ever want to let go of this perfect moment in the other's arms even if one day it becomes harder to hold on to.

She hugged the other woman tighter within their close knit bodies and let her gentle smile take over the moment and couldn't resist the sweet softening beam of her smile when she felt Sucy's lips smile against her neck.

They'd be alright, and that was unwavering in this moment of joined arms and nestled close bodies.


End file.
